Bengaluru | Three artists explore their connection to nature at ‘Air Fire Earth’ exhibition

Inspired by wildlife and travel, the artists converge to celebrate the elements at the exhibition

Jyoti Singh calls herself a hammer lady at heart. “I love taking that hammer and just banging away at copper,” laughs the New Delhi-based enamellist and potter, who is part of an upcoming group exhibition in Bengaluru titled ‘Air Fire Earth.’

Singh, who will be showcasing her work alongside Avanti Mehta and Rupa Samaria, says that the concept for the exhibition arose from each artist’s interests.

While Samaria’s realistic bird paintings are a nod to the air component of the title, Mehta’s various animals, in enamel, represent the earth. “Fire seemed the most obvious for me because I work with the kiln,” says Singh, a ceramic artist who trained at Delhi’s Blue Pottery Studios before venturing into enamel in 2006.

“It is fired art like ceramic, but there is an instant gratification. You put the powdered glass onto the metal, place it in the kiln, and pull it out while it is red-hot. And suddenly, in front of your eyes, it starts forming,” she adds.

Singh’s travels often seep into her work, be it the vast, arid landscapes of Ladakh or the native American and Mexican influences one sees in the southwest of the US.

The idea for the exhibition arose earlier this year, when the three artists wanted to make art to connect with the natural world in their unique way. While Singh and Mehta knew each other through The Enamelist Society of India, a collective of enamel artists from across the country, Singh had met Rupa at a bird festival in Ladakh.

Singh is the secretary of the The Enamelist Society of India, which was founded by the artist Veenu Shah 20-odd years ago to further the ancient craft of fusing coloured, powdered glass with metal, and has core members in Delhi and Mumbai. “I have learnt the craft, but use it as an art,” says Singh, who works with copper and steel to create her collection of wall pendants, sculptures and statement pendants.